The Victoria Advocate recently took top honors in two national contests recognizing journalistic excellence.

The first award came for the newspaper's multiyear project about ALS, featuring the struggles of Craig Fox and two other families. The project featured both print packages and a special online page. Last December, the newspaper premiered a feature-length documentary, "Breadth of Hope," created by staffers Drew Stewart and Erica Rodriguez.

In the Suburban Newspapers of America contest open to newspapers of all sizes, the work earned first place for online community service.

"Touching ... tragic ... enlightening ... inspiring ... remarkable," the judges wrote. "This series about three community members who have ALS, or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a stunning piece of work - worthy of a Pulitzer Prize."

They added the work "serves as proof to anyone who works at a small newspaper that 'we don't have the resources' should never stand in the way of remarkable story-telling. ... Outstanding! Bravo!"

Advocate photojournalist Angeli Wright also took top honors nationally in multimedia storytelling for her project, "Dorothy's Journey," about a woman caring for her mother suffering from Alzheimer's. The project appeared online as a multimedia presentation and in print.